... And 2 Months Flew By.

Wow, I can’t believe that it’s been almost two months since coming to Germany! First off, I’d like to apologize for not having posted a blog entry yet; it’s been incredibly busy since the study abroad semester started and the blogging component isn’t exactly a mandatory part of the program for me this time around. It’s definitely easier to keep up with this kind of stuff when there’s a motivator attached to it. I’m not saying this to be lazy or downplay the importance of blogging. In fact, doing this kind of stuff will help you remember the trip. It’s just that I’ve had so many other assignments and exams that it’s been difficult for me to find the time to focus on extracurricular endeavors like this. I’m actually on a train to Munich right now and with the first round of exams out of the way, I finally have some time to sit down and write. I’ll be visiting the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen and I plan to ride a cable car/cogwheel train up to the highest peak in Germany, the Zugspitze. It’ll be nice to finally see some snow!  

The students of the Texas A&M Germany Biosciences Program 2014.

Anyway, since this blog post is my first one in Germany, I’ll try to sum up what’s been going on. After arriving in Bonn, I met my host family, the Gehring family, with Reid, the TA for physiology lab. They have 3 kids: Simon, Ulrike, and Tobias. Simon still lives at home; I think he’s finishing up gymnasium. Ulrike is almost done with university, but she’s currently at home for the holidays. Tobias, the eldest son is currently on a trip around the world so I won’t get the chance to meet him. My host family experience has been pretty great so far: the food is fantastic, we talk a lot, and we go on small outdoor excursions every other weekend. So far, we’ve been to Drachenfels, Burg Else, and the Mosel River. To elaborate on the food, my host mom is an amazing cook. I thought I would be eating a lot of meat and potatoes, but it turns out she cooks a lot more than that. Although we do have a lot of potatoes, I have no complaints, as potatoes are probably one of my favorite vegetables. Every morning when I wake up, breakfast is on the table (it’s usually different breads with meats and cheeses, butter, Nutella, and some fruit and yogurt). It’s a pretty large upgrade from my College Station breakfast (which consists of air). Lunch is on my own during the weekdays, but during the weekends at home, they’re fairly fancy: fish with sauce, vegetables, rice, and a glass (or several) of wine. Dinner is always something different, and I haven’t been disappointed yet. I’ve eaten several kinds of pastas, soups, and various culinary creations made by my host mom. I don’t even know the English names of half the stuff I eat; I just know that it tastes really good. The meals are typically very balanced. There’s always many colors (that’s typically a good sign in terms of nutritive value). Marion and Hans, my host parents, are very warm and welcoming people. I’ve had nothing but good experiences when interacting with them.

 Me and my host parents on Drachenfels!

Me, Reid, and my host brother (Simon) at a rock gym.

In terms of the AIB/school experience, it’s been rather hectic. The professors are understanding and the classes are definitely chiller than they are back on-campus. But I honestly think there’s been too much work. Coming on this A&M program, I was forced to take 12 hours of science courses and I think that’s too much for a study abroad program like this. If I had the option, I would’ve just taken 8 or 9 hours. But for the record, I’m not complaining, I’m just making a statement about the workload as I see it. A&M should seriously consider making 8 hours full-time during the semester for study abroad students. A lot of the extracurricular activities would probably be more fun to attend if I didn’t have quite so much work going on. The sad part is that Pharmacology hasn’t even started yet, so I expect things to get MUCH worse after Spring Break. I’m pretty much bracing for it and I know it’s going to hurt majorly near the end of the semester. Despite all this, the classes themselves have been interesting. Biochemistry and physiology are so integral in the life sciences in that they explain how humans function and survive. It’s important to learn this stuff, especially since I’ll be applying to medical school in May. Overall, I’m enjoying my experience in Germany; it’s still a breath of fresh air from College Station. Even with study abroad, you’re still here to learn (and advance your degree) so it’s only fair that classes are still stressful across the Atlantic. I’m just hoping I don’t reverse-cycle with my sleep schedule; this past week was definitely an exhausting week and one that I strongly disliked.

Many physiologies. Such stress. My desk the night before the first physiology exam. It didn't go well.

The AIB excursions have been relaxing. So far we’ve been to Mayschoss, Cologne, and Vienna. We’ve had good food, educational excursions, and good times with my fellow students. I thought initially I would only be talking to the BIMS students, but I found the BMEN students to be overall very friendly. In fact, after next week, I’ll be going on a Spring Break Mediterranean cruise with my brother and 6 other BMEN majors. This will hopefully be my highlight of the spring semester. Anyway, in Mayschoss, we got a tour of a winery and we got to enjoy potato soup, bread, and a wine tasting. In Cologne, we toured the Elde Haus again, got a tour from Parthena (again) about the city, and we got to go to the upper levels of Cologne cathedral. It’s really a magnificent structure to gaze upon. It towers above everything else in the city and it makes you seem so small and insignificant. Finally, in Vienna, I got the opportunity to revisit all of the sites I went to last year. I actually got to see more this time around; I got a chance to see St. Michael’s church and its catacombs and I also got to visit the Sisi museum. I like to think of this semester as a chance to see the same things with a different perspective. It’s a chance to look further into the culture and history of Germany. Most people never get the opportunity to revisit countries and I am grateful that I have the opportunity to come back and enjoy Germany/Austria again.    

No matter how many times I go, Cologne Cathedral will always be impressive to gaze upon. 

 

In a tower on the higher levels of Cologne Cathedral. 

After the string quartet concert in Vienna. Quote Wasser: "It's the A-Team." 

Being ninjas in Vienna.

With my free weekends, I’ve either traveled with other students, my host family, or just stayed at home to relax and study for classes. Since arriving in Germany, I’ve only traveled outside of AIB excursions once, and that was to Amsterdam. Throughout the semester thus far, it’s been really fun getting to know the other A&M students (even in the Visualization program). Before the semester ends, I hope to at least visit Paris, London, and Istanbul.  

 On the I Amsterdam statue.

We visited the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam and it was a really neat documentation of the Holocaust.

Although I haven’t been playing oboe as much as I would in College Station, I’ve gotten the opportunity to play in a few orchestras. Apparently my skills don’t suck too much compared to other German oboe players around my age. On that note, I would love to play more, but with school I know that it would be impossible to effectively handle both. Nevertheless, it has been great getting to know the classical music scene in Bonn. I’ll hopefully get a chance to meet the oboe players in the Beethoven Orchestra soon.        

       

All in all, this study abroad semester has been great. Even with tough classes, I’m still enjoying some aspects of school (minus the motivation to study) and I’m learning a lot. I’m making new friends and I’m getting to know more about Bonn and Germany in general. I’ve been learning more about myself and how I fit in the big picture (I think). I don’t have all (or any, to be frank) of the answers, but coming here has definitely been a very eye-opening experience. I’m hoping this semester won’t be worse than this past week, but that could just be wishful thinking on my part. Here’s to an awesome Karneval weekend and an unforgettable Spring Break! Worry about the future later and enjoy the present now; that’s what they all say, right?

Austin W.

P.S. Since I’m currently on the train back to Bonn and haven’t posted this entry yet, I may as well write about my weekend in Munich. I left Thursday afternoon and I arrived at Hotel Daheim around 12:30 AM. Aaron, who missed his connection, didn’t arrive till around 6 AM. We were both awake by 9 and we met up with Reid to attend a free city tour of Munich. We got to see the Glockenspiel in Mariensplatz and we saw the Hofbräuhaus in addition to the main market place. Some interesting facts: many of the buildings in Munich are reconstructions from WWII (the use of fictive architecture prevails because they had to get many of the buildings in a presentable state for the Munich Olympics), stealing the maypole is an old Bavarian tradition, and the name, Munich, comes from the monks that were settled in the area a long time ago. After the city tour, Aaron and I had a quick lunch at a nice Italian place and we took a train to Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Upon arrival, we found our hotel and we went out to buy some snacks before resting up for the next day. We ate dinner at a hotel restaurant where I had mushroom cream beef cuts with hash browns and steamed vegetables. 

The Alps are stunning. Worth every euro to see this view.

The summit of the Zugspitze. 2962 meters up.

Me and some of the Alps in the background. A ski trail can be seen as well.

The next morning, Aaron and I took a train (for 41.5 euros each) up to the Zugspitze. It was an incredible sight to see the Alps. It makes me think of that saying that goes something along the lines of “Mountains have a way of making men feel small.” We took a cable car to the summit and it made my mind spiral just thinking about how high up I was (over 2900 m!). Unfortunately, it was a cloudy day, so I could only catch glimpses of the surrounding mountain range. I’ll be sure to come back again sometime in the near future when it’s a cloudless day. But even amidst the clouds, it was still blindingly bright as the white of the snow reflected the sunlight that cut through the clouds. It made me instantly regret forgetting to bring my sunglasses from the hotel. Even so, the excursion was enjoyable and I got to enjoy lunch in one of the mountain restaurants. I ended up ordering a pork cutlet covered in a beer sauce, with krautsalat and a kartoffelknodel. After more wandering around the summit and playing in the mountains and mountains of snow, I headed back down to ground elevation via cable car. I got to see Lake Eibsee and the seemingly infinite array of evergreen trees that sprawled out across the Bavarian landscape. Before taking a train back to town, I ran around in more snow and even got to see it snowing (since most of the snow had already been there prior to it snowing). I can sort of see now how snow can get old quickly, but it’s definitely fun for most native Texans like me. After reaching Garmisch-Partenkirchen again, Aaron and I stopped at a REWE to buy dinner (mainly caprese salads, of course). After a long day in the German Alps, I relaxed in my hotel room for the remainder of the day. And the very next morning, I took a train back to Munich. Aaron and I ate lunch at a Pizza Hut (which is actually a restaurant in Germany) near the hauptbahnhof and we walked around Königsplatz, a place where Hitler gave speeches during his rise to power. After seeing Aaron off, I wandered around Munich and met back up with Reid and Chace. After eating dinner, going to an Augustiner bräuhaus, getting gelato, and watching MADTV, we got on the 12 AM train back to Bonn. It’s been a long weekend, but I’m definitely looking forward to being able to catch up on some work that needs to get done. Tschüss!